Umbrella frame

ABSTRACT

A fastening means for attaching a crown, a handle, and/or dome rib parts to the stick and dome rib respectively, including an enlarged recess in the member to be attached to the stick or dome rib and a retaining member forced into the recess having a longitudinal length which is greater than the length of the recess such that the retaining member locks in the recess and bites into the wall of the recess and into the surface of the stick or the dome rib.

United States Patent 1 1 [111 3,890,990 Schafer June 24, 1975 [54] UMBRELLA FRAME 3,621,932 121132; lrlarkvart 287/53 H ,840,3 1 [75] Inventor: Josef Schafer, Solingen, Germany 3,007,726 1141961 [73] Assigneez Telesco Bmphey Limited. Montreal 3,640,363 2/ 1972 Spaldmg 287/53 R Canada Primary Examiner-4. Karl Bell [22] Filed July 1972 Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert E. Mitchell; Alan [21] Appl. N0.: 269,909 Swabey 130] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT July 10, 1971 Germany 2134625 A fastening means for attaching a crown a handle and/or dome rib parts to the stick and dome rib re- [52] 'i 135/20 R; 1 1 933 spectively, including an enlarged recess in the member [5 t 5.5- "4.1.. 4 to be attached to the stick or dome rib and a retaining 158] Feldof 1 5 3f 8 member forced into the recess having a longitudinal 287/53 3 /5 3 length which is greater than the length of the recess 403/326 such that the retaining member locks in the recess and bites into the wall of the recess and into the surface of 1 References Clied the stick or the dome rib.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1949 Valentino /36 R 2 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures 1 UMBRELLA FRAME BACKGROUND OF INVENTION and particularly to an improved connecting member for connecting the handle and the crown .to the stick of the umbrella frame. 7

2. Description of the Prior Art In the mass production of umbrellas it is normal to use a transverse locking pin to secure the handle or the crown to the umbrella stick. This pin passes through the handle or crown and through the umbrella stick. Such a connection is suitable from a construction point of view but in mass production of umbrella frames it is costly and time consuming. Umbrella constructions are also known in which a screw fastens the handle or crown to the stick instead of the transverse locking pin but this requires approximately the same production steps as with the transverse locking pin. It is also a disadvantage when using the locking pin or the screw as fastening means that an additional cover is necessary to hide the screw or locking pin and this of course adds to the expense of producing the umbrella.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an aim of the present invention to provide fastening means for the crown or handle which does not af- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Having thus generally described the nature of the invention particular reference will be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiments thereof and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a detail of the umbrella;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the detail shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the detail shown in FIG. 1 taken along lines III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-section taken along lines IVIV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a detail shown in FIG. 4; v

FIG. 6 is a schematic elevation of a fully erected typical umbrella;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a detail of the umbrella shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the detail shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged axial cross-section taken through the detail of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view of a further detail of the umbrella shown in FIG. 6;

2 FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-section taken through the detail of FIG. l0;'and

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the detail shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 6 there is shown an umbrella of the type which forms a rectangular package when closed including a telescopic umbrella stick 1 and a handle 2 attached to the lower telescopic tube 1' and a crown 3 attached to the upper telescopic tube 1".

In order to obtain a cross-sectional shape of rectangular or flat outline when the umbrella is closed the crown 3 has diametrically opposed extensions 4 to which dome rib sections 5 are hinged. The dome ribs also include intermediate sections 6 and outer dome rib sections 7. In the embodiments shown, the dome rib sections 5 and 6 are of U-shape cross-section sliding one within the other while outer dome rib section 7 is made of circular cross-section. These dome rib sections 7 are connected to dome rib support stretchers 9 by means of a hinge pin located in geats 8. The stretcher members are in turn hinged to the auxiliary runner l3 and supported by a strut 11 which is hinged to the main runner 14, the auxiliary link 12 connects the struts 11 to the support stretchers 9 in such a manner that when the umbrella is open the auxiliary link 12 pulls the stretcher 9 into the extended position by means of the quadrilateral structure provided. The stretchers 9 include two parts, namely the section hinged to the geats 8 and the section 10 hinged to the auxiliary runner 13.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 5 the handle 2, which is of flattened construction, includes an axial bore 15. of similar cross-section to the end 16 of the stick section 1'. In the present case the cross-section of the umbrella stick section 1 is hexagonal, therefore the bore 15 is also hexagonal. An enlarged somewhat eliptic al recess 17 is provided in the upper part of the handle forming an enlarged opening around the umbrella stick section 1'. The recess is defined by the inner wall 19 which is parallel to the axis of the stick.

A retaining member in the form of a plate 21 is used to anchor the handle 2 to the stick end 16 and the retaining plate 21 is of a relatively thin spring steel sheet construction and is formed to adapt to the eliptical or oval shape of the recess 17. The flattened length of the retaining plate 21 is greater than the dimension X of recess 17. The greater length of the spring bow of the plate 21 causes it to engage the inner wall 19 of the recess 17 and the outer surface 16' of the umbrella stick end 16, By making the edges of the plate sharp, the retaining plate 21 actually bites into the inner wall 19 of the handle 2 and the outer wall 16 of the umbrella stick 16. If it is necessary, as in certain cases, to provide a recess to receive the main runner then the size of the recess 17 is increased. However, when this is not necessary the recess 17 may be relatively small.

Retaining plate 21 is bowed in the direction of an insertion, that is towards the bottom 18 of the recess. In the embodiments, shown the diametrically opposed end edges 22 of the opening 23 in the retaining plate 21 engage or bite into the surface 16' as described above. Transverse edges 26 however, are spaced from the surface 16. The outer edges 24 of the retaining plate 21 run approximately parallel with the inner edges 22 so that the inner and outer edges all run transversely of the plane of the bow in the retaining plate 21 although the outer edges show similarities with the curved shape of the inner wall 19 of the recess. The edge of the plate is cut back on each side of these outer edges with the longitudinal edges 27 of the plate lie directly along longitudinal inner walls of recess 19 thus providing additional security against rotation. The opening 23 is of the size and relation to the inner edges 22 such that when the retaining plate is unbowed it can be slid along the stick 1'. I

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 the fastening means can also be used with advantage for attaching the umbrella crown. The umbrella crown 3 includes a downwardly extending skirt 128 defining a recess 117.- In order to be consistent the recess so formed is of eliptical or oval configuration such as in the handle 2. A central bore 115 receives the end of the circular stick section 1" and a projection 129 molded in the material of the crown can be provided to lock the crown against rotation with respect to the circular stick section 1". In a similar manner the retaining plate 121 is provided within a recess 117 with the outer edges 124 biting into the inner walls 1 19 and the inner edges 122 forming the central opening biting into the outer surface 116 of the stick end 116 of the stick section 1'.

A cap 33 is fitted to the top of the crown 3 and also covers the opening formed by the bore 1 15. The cap 33 is provided with snap end projections 34 which engage in openings 35 in the crown 3.

Further application of the fastening member described is shown in FIGS. through 12. In this case sleeves 36, provided with apertures 32 are fitted to the dome rib end 216 of the dome rib section'7. The sleeve 36 includes a bore 215 which fits over the end 216 and a large recess 217 is provided to receive the retaining plate 221 in the same manner as described with respect to the handle 2 and the crown 3.

I claim:

1. In an umbrella assembly for preventing relative movement between two elements comprising in combination a rod-like element a second element including a bore portion telescopically receiving one end of said rod-like element; and

fastening means engaged between said elements and retaining them in assembled relation, the improvement in which said assembly fastening means com prises:

a flat elongated, normally resilient plate element having a transverse aperture through which said rodlike element extends, said flat element being bowed under compression longitudinally intermediate its length about a transverse axis passing through said transverse aperture and having single opposed edge portions of said aperture continuously and bitingly engaging opposed portions of said rod-like element, said plate being freely slidable along said rod-like element when in a flat unbowed condition, said second element having an axial recess surrounding said bore portion and said rod-like element with side walls projecting parallel to and uniformly from and defining a shoulder normal to said bore and recess, said recess having a longitudinal dimension less than a corresponding longitudinal dimension of said plate in the direction it is bowed, said plate being spring-bowed into said recess and having opposed, single transverse outer edges continuously-and bitingly engaged with transverse adjacent opposed wall portions of said recess while the opposed edge portions of said aperture simultaneously bitingly engage the opposed portions of said rod-like element whereby the elements are continuously retained in assembled relation against relative or rotary movement, said rod-like element having a polygonal cross-section, said plate including longitudinal side edge portions substantially parallel to adjacent side portions of said recess side wall for further preventing relative rotation between the assembled rod-like and second elements.

2. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said second element comprises an umbrella handle. 

1. In an umbrella assembly for preventing relative movement between two elements comprising in combination a rod-like element a second element including a bore portion telescopically receiving one end of said rod-like element; and fastening means engaged between said elements and retaining them in assembled relation, the improvement in which said assembly fastening means comprises: a flat elongated, normally resilient plate element having a transverse aperture through which said rod-like element extends, said flat element being bowed under compression longitudinally intermediate its length about a transverse axis passing through said transverse aperture and having single opposed edge portions of said aperture continuously and bitingly engaging opposed portions of said rod-like element, said plate being freely slidable along said rod-like element when in a flat unbowed condition, said second element having an axial recess surrounding said bore portion and said rod-like element with side walls projecting parallel to and uniformly from and defining a shoulder normal to said bore and recess, said recess having a longitudinal dimension less than a corresponding longitudinal dimension of said plate in the direction it is bowed, said plate being spring-bowed into said recess and having opposed, single transverse outer edges continuously and bitingly engaged with transverse adjacent opposed wall portions of said recess while the opposed edge portions of said aperture simultaneously bitingly engage the opposed portions of said rod-like element whereby the elements are continuously retained in assembled relation against relative or rotary movement, said rod-like element having a polygonal cross-section, said plate including longitudinal side edge portions substantially parallel to adjacent side portions of said recess side wall for further preventing relative rotation between the assembled rod-like and second elements.
 2. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said second element comprises an umbrella handle. 